Game Trilogy
by Icka M. Chif
Summary: Game Over: Conan and Kid have a talk. New Game: Heiji dresses in drag. Card Game: a Poker game between friends. And Conan's Magic Trick!
1. Game Over

Wheeeeeee! Just picked up Magic Kaito manga 2 & 3. Y'know, Kid's really not such a bad guy...

Game Over  
By Icka! M. Chif

Leaves and shadows dancing in the moonlight were the only things playing in the moonlit park. It was late at night, past the time that any decent person would be in bed.   
  
At least one person was not, however. They were very tired, and on their way home to catch a few hours of sleep before going to school in the morning, too few hours away.   
  
But first, something to drink. The lone figure paused in front of a vending machine, debating over what to get. Coffee sounded good, but not if they were going to get some sleep tonight. Soda had too much caffeine in it, so that left either the juice or the lemonade.   
  
"Allow me." The first figure jumped as a much smaller second one joined it. The small one jumped up, clinging to the side of the machine as it put the coins in.  
  
"Lemonade or Apple juice?"  
  
"Uh... Apple..."  
  
A button was pressed twice and the machine shook slightly as it deposited it's cargo into the tray below. The second figure quickly hopped down and retrieved the bottles.   
  
The first one paused as the bottles were held out. "I haven't tampered with them." The second informed him seriously, a not so serious mischievous sparkle in their too old eyes. "No tricks. I swear."  
  
The first hesitantly took a bottle. "Thanks... Kudo."  
  
The second smirked. "You're welcome... Kuroba."  
  
"Ah." Kuroba Kaito, also known as the Kaitou Kid, silently saluted the detective and took a sip of juice. "I take it the game is over, then?"  
  
"Maybe." Detective Kudo Shin'ichi, currently stuck in the much smaller form of Edogawa Conan, frowned. It was an expression that was at odds with his youthful appearance. "I haven't decided yet."  
  
The schoolboy blinked, taken back. "What?!"  
  
"It depends." Conan said calmly, walking over to the bench across from the vending machine. The Kid followed.   
  
"On what?"  
  
"Your answers."  
  
"Ah." The Kid casually sprawled on to the bench, as if people finding out what did on his off time was an everyday occurrence. "What do you want to know?"  
  
Conan raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised by the thief's relaxed attitude. "What are you looking for?"  
  
"What?" The Kid said expressively, gesturing with his hands. "No questions on how I became the fabulous Kaitou Kid with my vast arsenal of magic tricks and surprises?"  
  
"Your father, the Master Magician Kuroba Toichi was the original Kaitou Kid. He died 8 years ago in what appeared to be an accident." Conan said dryly. "You're actually the second Kaitou Kid, following his legacy."  
  
"It wasn't an accident." The Kid took a sip of his drink. "He was murdered."  
  
Conan began to looked interested for the first time.   
  
"The people doing so are looking for a certain jewel." The thief explained, looking sombre. "If you hold it up to the moonlight, a holy gem inside will glow red. This holy gem can shed tears that contain can make a man immortal."  
  
"That's ridiculous." The detective scoffed. "You can't make someone immortal."  
  
"They're willing to kill both my father and me for it." The Kid retorted. "Ridiculous enough for you?"  
  
Conan nodded. Kid had a valid point. "And no one knows which one it is, right?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"So what happens when you do find it?" The detective queried.  
  
"That's easy." A dangerous smirk spread across Kid's face. "I'm gonna destroy it into bits."  
  
The smaller kids eyes got large as he stared at the thief. "Oh."  
  
The Kid laughed, putting an arm behind his head. "But so far, no luck." He said jovially, all traces of seriousness gone.  
  
"With the gem or finding the people who killed your father?"  
  
"I found the man who killed Dad, and part of their gang. They're just a small part of an even bigger group."  
  
"Bigger group..." It was easy to see the gears inside the detective's mind suddenly turn. "Do any of them wear all black?"  
  
"I dunno. Haven't seen them."  
  
"Dammit." Conan let out a frustrated sigh.  
  
The thief raised an eyebrow. "Are they the ones who-"  
  
The detective nodded. "Turned me into a child? Yes."  
  
"And here I thought it was just a clever disguise."  
  
"I'd hope so. If they discover that I'm not dead, they'll come back and take care it, along with anyone who knows."  
  
"Fortunately, I don't know you."  
  
"Good thing, huh?"  
  
There was a slight pause in the conversation.  
  
"So... are you going to turn me in?" The Kid finally ventured.  
  
Conan shook his head. "No. Not today anyway."  
  
"Oh?" Kid inclined his head, a inquisitive look on his face.  
  
"Don't get me wrong." Conan smirked. "This changes nothing. I'm still going to make a legend of the Kaitou Kid someday. Just not one of Kuroba Kaito."   
  
"Ah." The Kid silently saluted Conan with his bottle. "A gentleman's game of wits then?"  
  
"A game has a few rules, does it not?" Conan raised an eyebrow.  
  
Kid smirked back. "Depends on the rules."  
  
"Fair enough. What do you suggest?"  
  
"Main rule: In character only. Edogawa vs. The Kaitou Kid. You don't reveal Kuroba, I don't reveal Kudo."  
  
"Agreed." Conan grinned. "The chase begins when you deliver your note to the police and ends if you get away."  
  
"You mean when." Kid smirked. Conan snorted, amused.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"The Phantom Kid shall continue to remain in character, of course." Kid continued, gesturing grandly. "No one gets seriously hurt through fault of the Kid, their own stupidity exempted, and all the spoils are eventually returned. With the exception of the one I'm looking for, of course."  
  
"Agreed. Though if you masquerade as Ran again, I -will- be forced to hurt you." The detective said seriously.  
  
"And she was a good disguise too." Kid mock sulked. "Alright. Third rule: We keep the girls out of it."  
  
Conan nodded. "That covers it, I think."  
  
The Kid thought about it, and then held his hand out. "Agreed."   
  
They shook on it, a minor battle of wills taking place. At an unspoken cue, both of them let go, assured that the other would keep their word.  
  
"Speaking of girls, remind me to thank your girlfriend sometime." Conan remarked casually, taking a sip of his drink.   
  
"Aoko not my girlfriend!" Kid snapped. He paused. "Why?"  
  
Conan reached into a pocket and pulled out a small fish wrapped in paper. "This is why."  
  
The Kid yelped and comically scurried backwards until he was in danger of falling off the bench.  
  
"Most people don't use magic to escape off a telephone pole to escape a screaming girl waving a fish around." Conan deadpanned.  
  
"Ack."  
  
The smaller boy snickered and put the fish away.  
  
"So that's how you found out." The Kid panted, slowly creeping back to his previous seat.  
  
"It wasn't hard, not after having your name imprinted on our eardrums." The detective smirked. "A quick background check was all it took to put the pieces together. Though you really might want to consider not using so much magic in public."  
  
"Can't stop now. I've been doing it for years, long before the Kaitou Kid reappeared." Kid shook his head. "As the son of a famous Magician, it's expected."  
  
"I'm surprised Hakuba never noticed. He goes to your school after all."  
  
"He had suspicions, once or twice." The Kid smirked. "They've been... disproved."  
  
"So why didn't you try to disprove me?" Conan queried. "I was half expecting you to run for it."  
  
"If you were going to arrest me, you wouldn't have stopped me to talk on my way home." Kid grinned. "To Hakuba, I'm an obstacle, the Phantom Kid he's never caught. To you, I'm a -challenge-."  
  
He finished his drink with a satisfied air. The smaller boy smiled as well, finishing his drink with smaller sips as they sat in near-companionable silence.  
  
"Thank you for the drink, and the conversation." Kid finally said, rising. "We shall have to do this again sometime, on friendlier grounds."  
  
"We shall." Conan agreed, sliding off of the bench. "Good night, Kuroba-san."  
  
"Good night, Edogawa-san. And stay out of trouble." The Kid grinned, casually tossing his bottle at the recycling can on the far side of the vending machine. It spun in mid air, caught the lip and flipped in.   
  
Conan snickered, tossing his bottle in as well. It sailed in with less flair, but higher accuracy. "You too."  
  
They nodded to each other, then turned to walk in separate directions.   
  
"Oi!" The Kid called just before disappearing around the corner. "Edogawa! Almost forgot! Catch!"  
  
Conan turned around just in time to catch something sparkling flying at him. He blinked, holding it to the light to inspect it.  
  
It was tonight's theft.  
  
"Do you think you could return that to the Inspector Nakamori Ginzo? He's probably missing it." The Kid called, looking innocent. "I'm afraid I don't have anything to go with it."  
  
With a laugh and a sudden colourful explosion, the thief disappeared from view.  
  
Detective Edogawa Conan grinned, clutching the bright jewel in his hand.   
  
Yes, the Illusive Kid was a wonderful mental challenge, even if he did posses an edge now.   
  
But the game was a learning experience that was going to be worth far more than any of the jewels the thief could steal.  
  
Fin.  
  
Moral of the story: Never ask a little kid if he's normal or not, he'll eventually prove it to you. 


	2. New Game

New Game  
By Icka! M. Chif  
  
"Conan-kun!" Ran called, holding the receiver of the phone in one hand to muffle the noise. "Phone for you!"  
  
Edogawa Conan, actually Kudo Shin'ichi shrunk to the body of an 8 year old after an unfortunate encounter with some men in black and a backfired poison, stuck his head out of his room. "Who is it?" He called back.   
  
"Hattori-san! He says he has a question for you!"  
  
A question? Conan mused, walking over. That was odd. Heiji Hattori, the Detective from the West, usually didn't call him for simple 'questions'.   
  
Ran smiled kindly at him as she handed him the phone. "You might want to make it quick, before Dad wakes up from his nap." She whispered confidentially.   
  
He nodded, taking the phone. Mouri wouldn't take kindly to him 'monopolizing his resources'. After all, there could be a call about a case at any time. "Thanks, Ran-neechan."  
  
She twinkled at him, before turning to get back to her homework, which was spread out over the table. Satisfied that her attention was sufficiently diverted, he put the phone up to his ear. "What can I do for you, Hattori?"  
  
Hattori made a sound that was distinctly uncomfortable. "I need to know, that while you were working on a case, under cover or whatever if you've ever-"   
  
The rest of it was lost in an un legible mumble.  
  
"What?" Conan asked, confused. "Could you repeat that?"  
  
The dark skinned boy growled. "If you laugh, so help me Kudo, I'll rip your head off and give it to Mouri-san to use as an ashtray."  
  
"Okay, okay. I promise I won't laugh." Conan promised. What could cause the normally easy-going Hattori to get so uptight?  
  
Hattori sighed. "I need to know if you know how to dress in drag." He finally muttered.   
  
Conan blinked. "Uh... no."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"May I inquire as to -why-?"  
  
The other boy sighed again. "I lost a bet to Kazuha."  
  
"So you have to dress in drag?"  
  
"Worse. I have to dress as a woman and go to a play with her."  
  
"Ouch."  
  
"Yeah." Conan could practically see Hattori pace in nervousness. "And it's not exactly something I can just ask Mom about."  
  
"Agreed. What was Kazuha's reaction?"  
  
"She offered to loan me a dress."  
  
"And-?"  
  
"Do the words 'Pink, frilly and no way in heck' ring a bell to you, Kudo? I'm gonna feel stupid enough as it is, I'd rather not look it as well."  
  
"Right." Conan thought for a minute. "Actually, I may know someone who could help. Can I call you back?"  
  
"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Oh, the play is this Sunday, so there's only a few days."  
  
"Okay. Talk to you a few minutes."  
  
Conan hung up the phone and glanced around. Mouri-san was still asleep at his desk and Ran was distracted with homework. He grinned, amusement bubbling. The predicaments Hattori and Kazuha got into were always fun.  
  
"I'll be right back, Ran-neechan!" He called, grabbing a jacket as he headed out the door. "I've got to run a quick errand!"  
  
"Okay! Be careful!" Ran called back, her attention still on the school work.   
  
Conan grinned and quickly trotted down the stairs, to the phone booth across the street. Standing on tiptoes, he reached up to put a few coins in, then dialled a number he had carefully memorised recently.  
  
The phone rang a couple of times, then a woman's voice answered it. "Moshi moshi, Kuroba residence."  
  
"Hi! Is Kaitou there?" He asked cheerfully, doing his best to sound like a genki 8-year old. Of course, it helped that he was currently in the body of an 8-year old.  
  
"Just a moment. May I ask who is speaking?"   
  
"Edogawa Conan."  
  
"Thank you." There was the muffled sound of someone calling for Kaitou, then the sound of footsteps. A slight paused followed, along with the sound of muffled conversation. Finally the boy picked up.  
  
"Kaitou here." The thief's voice was puzzled, almost uncertain. Conan smiled. It wasn't often he had the Kaito Kid off balance.   
  
"I have a favour to ask. Outside of the game."  
  
"What kind of favour?" The thief was definitely suspicious.  
  
"Friend of mine needs to dress as a woman and needs some help." He explained, enjoying himself. "And since you did such a good job imitating Ran..."  
  
"Uh-huh." Kuroba didn't sound convinced. "What size?"  
  
Conan did some quick mental calculations. "About Kudo's size, a little wider in the shoulders."  
  
"Soccer player?"  
  
"Kendo. Baseball fan as well."  
  
There was a definite pause on the other end. "Dark skin, baseball cap and Osaka accent?"  
  
"That's him. Hattori Heiji."  
  
Another pause, not so long as the previous. "The Detective from the West? Can I ask -why-?"  
  
"Lost a bet with a friend. He has to go to a play as a girl. He'd prefer to do a good job of it, rather than a really bad one."  
  
A slight snicker from the phone. "Don't blame him. Alright, but I get a favour in return."  
  
"What kind of favour?"  
  
The glee from the thief was almost tangible. "I have a show at school coming up and I need an assistant. Out side of the game, of course."  
  
Conan had a really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What kind of assisting?"  
  
"Well, normally I'd ask Aoko, but she's getting a bit big. And the trick really does need a cute little girl to work properly."  
  
He sweatdropped, debating if it was worth it to hit his head against the phone booth's walls. Might as well do the favour. He was stuck in the body of an 8 year old, it wasn't as if he had much more dignity left to loose. "Alright. I'll do it."  
  
"Great!"   
  
Conan had the sudden mental picture of Kuroba hopping manically in glee. If there actually wasn't a trick that required a small girl, he was pretty sure that the Magician Thief would make one up in time, just for him.   
  
He mentally grimaced. Oh, well. It would be worth it to see Hattori in drag.  
  
"Anything we need?" He asked, changing the subject back to the original topic.   
  
"Does your girlfriend still have that dress I 'borrowed'?" Kuroba asked, a large grin in his voice. "That might fit. Everything else I can bring with me."  
  
"She's not my girlfriend and I can check." He growled. "The play is this Sunday, by the way."  
  
"That's fine. Where are we meeting?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I can get the details and call you back."  
  
"Perfect. Talk to you then. Ja!"  
  
"Ja ne."  
  
Conan hung up the phone and headed back to Mouri's apartment to call Hattori back, a smug grin on his face.   
  
This was going to be amusing.   
  
*** Later ***  
  
"I was right." Hattori groaned that Sunday afternoon, inspecting himself in 'Ran's' red dress in the relative safety of his room. "I look stupid."  
  
"No." Corrected Kuroba. Hattori had been told that Kuroba Kaitou was a magician, and was thus required to be a master of disguise. The Osaka detective had appeared to accept that at face value, much to the Kaito Kid's relief, and had welcomed him into his house. "You look like a guy in a dress."  
  
"At least you aren't complaining that the dress makes you look fat." Conan piped up, grinning.   
  
Hattori bopped him on the head. "Itai!" The smaller boy rubbed the top of his head, glaring at him.  
  
"That's not the problem." Kuroba mused, ignoring Hattori's startled look. "The problem is the shoulders. We can fill the hips out, but your shoulders are too wide to look good in a dress."   
  
"Unless you're pretending to be a fat woman." Conan supplied helpfully. He was having fun.  
  
Hattori glared at him.   
  
Even if it was painful.  
  
"That could work." Kuroba pondered. "The only problem would be getting clothing large enough in time."  
  
A knock on the door caused them all to jump, and Hattori to hide behind the door. "Come in!" Conan called, still grinning.   
  
Hattori Shizuka, Heiji's mother, was in her habitual traditional kimono as she stepped inside carrying a tray of snacks and drinks. "I thought you might be like a snack while working on the costume." She said politely as she set them down on the floor.   
  
"Thank you!" Kuroba grinned, pleased to notice that there was no fish among the snacks provided.   
  
Conan scampered up, grinning angelically. "Thank you, Hattori-san!" He chirped.   
  
"You're welcome." Shizuka smiled at him, patting him on the head. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."  
  
"We will." Kuroba promised, waving as she walked back outside.   
  
Hattori waited until she had left before coming out of his hiding spot. "How do you -do- that?" He asked as the innocent look faded off of Conan's face, to be replaced by Shin'ichi's piercing gaze.   
  
Conan smirked, taking a drink off of the tray. "Practice."  
  
"Oi, Hattori?" Kuroba distracted him. "Does your mother wear kimonos very often?"  
  
"Almost every day." Hattori replied, sitting down on the floor next to the tray. "Why?"  
  
Kuroba grinned, mischief sparkling in his eyes. Hattori paled. "Aw, no..."  
  
Conan began to snicker.  
  
"I'll answer that question in a minute." Kuroba smirked, an eyebrow disappearing into his bangs. "But first, a quick lesson in dress etiquette."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Never sit cross legged in a short skirt."  
  
Hattori turned red.  
  
**** Later, that night ****  
  
"Were is he?" Kazuha checked her watch for the third time in the past two minutes. "The play is going to start any minute!"  
  
As if on cue, the lights dimmed, silencing the audience. She sighed, resigning herself to the fact that Hattori was a no show.   
  
When she saw him again, he was going to get the chewing out of his life, Kazuha decided as she settled back into her seat. Teach him to back out of a dare, no matter how embarrassing it was.   
  
Well, at least the play was supposed to be good. She'd chosen it because she had hoped that he might enjoy it. There was enough swordplay to at least keep his interest for a while. And it wasn't like she got him to go to the theatre very often. The stupid bet was the only thing she could think of to get him to come.  
  
She sighed again, then got swept up in the story and forgot about Hattori. At least for a little while.   
  
About halfway thru the story, she started to sniffle during a sad song. A gentle nudge at her elbow drew her attention away from the stage and toward the properly dressed lady sitting next to her. The lady was silently offering her a handkerchief.  
  
"Thank you." She whispered, taking the handkerchief and wiping her eyes. The lady said nothing, merely motioned for her to keep the tissue and turned her attention back to the show.   
  
The show finally ended and audience dispersed, travelling in packs or pairs on their way to whatever was taking them home. Kazuha frowned, wondering where Hattori was again. She had half hoped that he would show up late.  
  
"Oh, come on Kazuha. The show wasn't that bad." A cheerful voice commented behind her.  
  
"Hattori?!" She spun, expecting to see her friend. Instead there was only the lady who had sat next to her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were-"  
  
A very un-ladylike grin spread across the face of the lady. "Expecting someone?"  
  
"Hattori!" She gave him a friendly slap in the arm. "Aho! You were there the whole time and didn't let me know?!"  
  
Now that she was looking at him up close, it wasn't hard for her to see that it actually was Hattori. The loose haori hid what masculine features the kimono did not. The ornately fashioned wig and carefully applied makeup also helped to further mask his identity. The sparkle in his eyes was about his only recognisable feature.   
  
Besides the cocky grin threatening to crack his face.  
  
He chuckled, the sound at odds with his current appearance. "And where would the fun be in that?" He asked gleefully, falling in step next to her.   
  
"Maybe allow me a chance to gloat for a change?" She retorted. Kazuha paused, turning thoughtful. "You look nice."  
  
He waved it off. "You can thank Kudo. He knows the strangest people sometimes."   
  
"Yourself included?" She grinned.   
  
"Ha. Ha."  
  
Kazuha smiled, happy just to have him with her. "No, seriously. You look good in a kimono. Better than me, anyway. Maybe you should wear one more often."  
  
"That's because you're too curvy to wear one decently." He commented. "And this is the last time I'm ever wearing one."  
  
She blinked. Had she just been complimented? A backhanded compliment, but a compliment none the less.   
  
Kazuha glowed, and decided to stop teasing him about the kimono, at least for now. She hadn't expected him to actually do such a nice job of it anyway.  
  
"Guess that'll teach you bet against me on baseball, won't it?" She said sweetly.  
  
He glared at her.   
  
"Ha."  
  
Fin.  
  
Moral of the story: Always take Kazuha seriously.  
  
Notes:  
Aho - Gentler/more polite form of 'Baka'. Still means an idiot, moron, stupid, etc., etc..  
Ja / Ja ne - Casual form of goodbye.  
Haori - light weight coat worn over a kimono. It's not meant to close in the front and are very comfortable. Looks nice over jeans too!  
  
The comment about being too curvy to wear a kimono is something I learned in a web design class, of all places. A nice Japanese lady saw me wearing my haori and was displeased at me for it. Not because I was wearing it, but because it was a -Summer- haori and it was -Winter- time. Wrong season for that particular article of clothing. (never making that mistake again! ^^;; )  
  
The discussion was then turned to Japanese clothing, where she made an interesting comment about kimonos. Girls with nice figures have to mask it, by putting a towel or some sort of cloth around their waist, to make it thicker. The obi (belt) is supposed to be perfectly straight, from top to bottom. No curving in for the waist.  
  
And that has been our odd fact of the day. *grin!* 


	3. Card Game

Card Game  
by Icka! M. Chif  
  
"Hey." Kuroba Kaitou sat down on the bench next to a very bored looking Hattori Heiji. Ran and Kazuha had dragged their guys to the local mall for a shopping trip. Not wanting to be used as life sized mannequins, the detectives had slipped outside the store to wait in the safer environment.  
  
Hattori gave him a weak half wave by way of greeting. "Don't tell me. Your girl found ours."  
  
"Okay. I won't tell you." Kuroba flashed a grin. "How's it going there, Edogawa?"  
  
On Hattori's other side, Conan looked half asleep. "I had forgotten how boring this was when I was big." The boy grumbled, not bothering to stifle a yawn. "It's even worse small."   
  
"Just be grateful you were able to slip out when you did." A cool voice spoke up from Kuroba's side of the bench. They all jumped slightly when they realised that Hiabara Ai had somehow joined them with out their knowledge. The grown up child regarded their reaction with a dry sort of humour. "They're currently looking at underwear."  
  
"There are some things I just don't need to know, Hiabara." Conan grumbled. She quietly snickered while the taller boys agreed.   
  
"Hiabara Ai, this is Hattori Heiji and Kuroba Kaitou. Hattori and Kuroba, this is Hiabara." Conan chanted.  
  
Hiabara raised an eyebrow. "I've heard of you. The teenage detective from Osaka and the Magician."  
  
"That's us." Kuroba grinned. With a flourish of his hand and a puff of smoke, a small flower appearing in his hand. He offered it to her. She looked at it for a moment, then took it with a small smile and tucked it behind an ear.  
  
"Well, they're going to be in there for a while." Hattori sighed, ignoring Kuroba's playing. "Any suggestions?"  
  
None of the boys were willing to voice it, but they all knew that if they weren't someplace visible when the girls came out, there would be hell to pay. It was just one of those things.  
  
Conan eyed Kuroba thoughtfully. "You're the magician. You wouldn't happen to have a deck of playing cards, would you?"  
  
Kuroba paused. "Let me check."  
  
People passing by were suddenly entertained by an impromptu magic performance as Kuroba proceeded to look for a deck of cards. Confetti, balloons, random loose cards, mini-flags tied together, even a few doves and a white rabbit suddenly appeared as the magician searched his pockets, shirt sleeves, collar and where ever else he hid his magic tricks.   
  
He finally found an un-opened deck in his left sock. "Found it!" He declared triumphantly, holding it up.  
  
"How did you..." Hattori gawked; he'd never seen Kuroba in action before. The Osaka detective paused, then shook his head. "Never mind, I don't want to know."  
  
"It's probably for the best." Conan agreed cheerfully. Hiabara snickered.  
  
"So." Kuroba drawled, a mischievous smile lighting up his face. "What do we want to play?"  
  
Three blank looks greeted him.   
  
"Oh. Right." He slapped his forehead. "Poker."  
  
****  
  
Two World Class Detectives, both trained in putting clues together and reading people. One Magician Thief, trained in hiding his body language. And one frosty scientist, who was just plain hard to read in the best of times and impossible the rest.   
  
The stakes weren't as spectacular. A quick run to a couple of vending machines and they had their chips to bet with, various Meiji candies. Hiabara supplied pocky to act as fake cigarettes, just for the amusement factor.   
  
It was quickly agreed that Kuroba was NOT to deal, despite his flair for shuffling cards in extraordinary ways.   
  
Kuroba was amused by their decision, but didn't argue. He had gotten a handy pile of candy before they had stepped in.   
  
And he supposed that dealing himself the second straight flush -had- been a bit much.   
  
****  
  
"I'll see your Apollos* and raise you some Marble Chocolates*!" Hattori put his bet down in the middle of the table. Conan's narrowed as he looked at his cards, then glancing over at Kuroba, who had the same small smug smile he'd had since they started playing.  
  
"Something wrong?" Kuroba asked innocently.  
  
"I think you have a card up your sleeve." The small detectives said bluntly.   
  
The magician beamed at him. "You're right."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Kuroba chuckled as he started to pull cards out of seemingly nowhere. He spread them out onto the table, as if they were poker hands. Which they were. Full House, Royal Flush, Aces and Eights, Straight Flush, he had them all.  
  
Hattori and Hiabara gawked. "You-" Hattori began, getting mad.  
  
"-Unfortunately, they're the wrong deck." Conan cut him off, holding up the backs of the cards. The cards that Kuroba had just pulled out all had red backs. They were playing cards with one that had blue backs. "Getting sloppy, Kuroba."  
  
Kuroba waved it off. "It's one thing to deal myself the cards, it's another to blatantly cheat." He said loftily.   
  
"Then how come you only pulled cards out of one sleeves?" Hattori deadpanned.   
  
Kuroba blinked. "Wow. You're almost as good as Kudo."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"That's it." Hiabara said, folding her cards together and looking slightly disgruntled. "Next time I play cards with you, it's going to be -strip- poker."  
  
Before the boys could refute that statement, they were interrupted by the approach of the girls. "Uh-oh. Quick! Hide the cards!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Too late, they saw us already."  
  
"We're screwed."  
  
"Maybe you big boys are, but I'm just an 'innocent little girl'" Hiabara smirked. She'd get away without getting scolded.  
  
Conan cleared his throat and spoke up in a high, clear voice. "Sorry, no Eights. Go Fish!"  
  
Kuroba shuddered and took a card from the pile next to Hattori, who's turn it had been to play dealer. "I hate this game."  
  
Hattori raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but Kuroba refused to comment further, instead using the distraction to quickly hide the cards he had just pulled out of his sleeve. "Any Aces?"  
  
Hiabara sighed and handed him a pair that she had been holding on to. He grinned and set 4 aces down on the table.   
  
"Looks like you guys are keeping yourself amused." Kazuha remarked, leaning over the back of Hattori's chair. She blithely reached over and took a few pieces of candy for herself. He glared at her, which she breezily ignored.   
  
"Would you like some candy, Ran-neechan?" Conan grinned, playing the 'cute innocent' kid act. "I've got lots!"  
  
"Thank you, Conan-kun." Ran smiled at the small boy, taking some from his larger pile.   
  
Aoko looked at Kuroba's smaller pile. "Looks like you ate it all before we got here." She commented.   
  
Kuroba just sweat dropped and laughed, a slightly nervous tinge to it. Before the girls had showed up, he had been just about tied with Hattori over who had the smaller pile.  
  
Hiabara peeked out from her very large pile of candy. "What game were we playing again?" She asked innocently.   
  
As one, the guys all turned and glared at the scientist.  
  
She just grinned.  
  
Fin.  
  
Notes:   
Meiji is a Japanese candy manufacturer. Think the Japanese equivalent of 'Hershey' or 'Nestlé'. They make various chocolates, candies, cookies, cocoa, gum, curry, soups, biscuits and the Fran brand of pocky. (very good pocky and chocolate! Yum!)  
Website: http://www.foods.meiji.co.jp/ 


	4. Bonus: Conan's Magic Trick!

Bonus Fic:  
Conan's Magic Trick.  
  
Kaito grinned at the sea of smiling children's faces. Doing shows for little kids might not have been as daring or as exciting as being Kaitou Kid, but it had several definite perks. "-I think there's one more thing stuck in my hat..."  
  
The kids leaned forward, eager to see what he would pull out.  
  
The ears were the first visible thing. White, long and just on the floppy side. Definitely rabbit in shape.   
  
Followed by a mop of long white-blonde hair.   
  
And a white leotard.  
  
Which was quickly buried under the white tutu. With a bunny tail attached in the back.  
  
Tights and large fake rabbits feet were the last thing to appear.  
  
Conan glared at the magician whom held him aloft as the audience screamed and giggled.  
  
"I violently dislike you." the cross dressing bunny-girl hissed in a stage whispered.  
  
"Smile and wave, Kudo." He whispered back, grinning. "Smile and wave."  
  
Definite perks.  
  
Fin. 


End file.
